Agriturismo Ferdy

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Agriturismo Ferdy: Alpine Contemporary Dining in Piazza Brembana, Italy

Agriturismo Ferdy: A Mountain Philosophy on the Plate

In the heart of the Orobie Alps, above the valley of Piazza Brembana, Agriturismo Ferdy is a working farm, cheese dairy, and restaurant where the Quarteroni family has spent decades living out a singular vision: to honour the mountain and its traditions through hospitality.

It began in December 1989, when Ferdy and Cinzia Quarteroni bought a handful of horses and set about restoring a ruined farmhouse in the Brembana Valley. The first agriturismo opened in 1997 with a small restaurant and three wooden rooms. From there, the project grew organically: an alpine pasture and cheese dairy in Val d’Inferno in 2000, stables dedicated to ancient local breeds like the Bruna Alpina Originale and the endangered Orobica goat in 2005, and the Borgo del Benessere spa in 2010. Today, the family runs both the main farmstead in Lenna and a high-altitude dairy in the Val d’Inferno.

The restaurant’s kitchen is driven by the same ethos. The menu is described as “new mountain cuisine” — a phrase that captures both the deep respect for tradition and the willingness to push it forward. The ingredients come from the farm’s own fields, pastures, and forests: wild herbs and roots gathered by hand according to the season, milk from cows and goats that graze for at least six months a year, and ethically raised meat from ancient breeds, labelled Wild Etik. The cheese-making follows the teachings of Nonna Petronilla, and every Friday the cellar opens for guided tastings of the farm’s aged wheels.

Michelin recognised this holistic approach with a Green Star in 2024, and the restaurant holds a Michelin Recommended rating for 2026. The award underscores what the Quarteroni family has always done: make sustainability and flavour inseparable.

Dining at Ferdy offers several paths. From Monday to Friday, guests can choose from an à la carte menu or the “Esperienze Wild” tasting menus, which let the kitchen show its full range. On weekends and holidays, the Sunday table takes over at lunch — a more convivial, family-style experience called “Tradizione Orobica.” Here, the focus shifts from technical flourishes to shared pleasure: a welcome of Wild bread with hand-churned butter, a consommé of kitchen scraps, a raviolo open like a shepherd’s parcel with Bergamasca sheep ragù, and a brasato of Bruna Alpina Originale with polenta made from ancient corn varieties. The wine list, meanwhile, is built around small, artisan vigneron who share the farm’s respect for nature — “vini vivi,” as they call them.

Beyond the dining room, Ferdy is a place to stay, to explore, and to slow down. Guests can book a room in the agriturismo, book a private spa treatment (where hay and goat’s milk are used in traditional wellness rituals), or join experiences like cheese tastings, horse riding, and e-bike excursions through the Orobie. The farm shop sells its own cheeses, yogurts, preserves, and wild-herb infusions.

Agriturismo Ferdy is not a retreat from the mountain. It is the mountain, expressed through food, care, and a quiet, decades-long commitment to place.